Prior art storage media packages, such as jewel boxes for audio CDs and CD-ROMs, have suffered a number of disadvantages. (I will refer to CDs in this specification, but the discussion of the prior art and the invention also applies to other disc-shaped records and storage media in general.) The most widely used jewel box comprises a lid pivotably connected to a base, the base holding a tray including a disc carrier. The lid typically has extensions with protrusions that fit into holes on the base to provide the pivot connection. However, the extensions snap off easily, and the protrusions often pop out of the holes into which they are inserted. The resulting connection is not very secure, and the particular construction and type of material from which the jewel boxes are usually made render the connection easily broken.
The tray is typically held in the base by a press or snap-in fit. The tray includes a raised cylindrical portion that spaces the recorded surface of the stored disc from the tray itself. A set of raised, radially arranged fingers formed on the raised cylindrical portion holds the disc in place by an interference fit with the center hole of the disc. To free the disc, the user is supposed to depress the tops of the fingers while lifting the edges of the stored disc.
The ubiquity of this type of jewel box has resulted in a standard set of booklets and informational cards (so-called "C-cards") that are inserted with the storage media, especially for audio CDs. Thus, any redesign of the jewel box that requires something other than the standard booklet or C-card will result in increased publication costs and will consequently have a more difficult time becoming established in the marketplace. More significantly, there is a large amount of investment in automation equipment for assembly and packaging of jewel boxes. Thus, any new jewel box design that would require different automation equipment is unlikely to succeed in the marketplace.
Several attempts at redesigns of this "standard" jewel box have been made. The best attempt is that by Philosophe (U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,369) and includes a tray that slides away from the pivot between the lid and the base, allowing the stored disc to be accessed in two ways: by the conventional opening of the cover and by sliding the tray out of the jewel box. This configuration also allows for stacking of the jewel boxes for more compact storage of a plurality of jewel boxes, yet also allows access to the stored discs without removing a jewel box from the stack. Unfortunately, this configuration suffers from two significant drawbacks.
Firstly, Philosophe still relies on the standard type of hinge connection. As mentioned above, this type of hinge comes apart or breaks quite easily. Consequently, the reliability and durability of the Philosophe jewel box hinge are not what most consumers would desire. Philosophe's jewel box hinge is therefore no improvement over that of the standard jewel box.
Secondly, the C-card that would be used in this newer jewel box would be non-standard or would be easily damaged when the tray was slid out of the jewel box. If a standard C-card were used, it would ride on the tray with its printed surface facing the base. As a result, the printed surface of the C-card could be scratched or torn from the sliding of the tray in and out of the jewel box. If a non-standard C-card were used, it could remain in the base, but might still be torn by the sliding tray. Additionally, as mentioned above, a non-standard C-card would be more costly and would decrease the marketability of the jewel box.